Lawson Adit
TheLawson Aditis a horizontal mine tunnel, oradit,on theUC Berkeleycampus, near theHearst Mining Building,dug directly through theHayward Fault.[1]Started in 1916, the adit is named afterAndrew Lawson,one-time Dean of the College of Mining at UC Berkeley.[2]
History
[edit]The adit was dug under the direction of Frank H. Probert, who had just previously been appointed Professor of Mining.[3]It was dug primarily for instructional purposes, with secondary hopes that it would represent a new source of water for the campus.[1][4]Much of the equipment to dig and use the tunnel was donated by the mining industry in the San Francisco Bay area.[4]Although an initial report said that it was to go 1,800 feet into the Berkeley Hills,[3]the actual construction resulted in a mine tunnel of about 200 feet.
Between 1919 and 1930 the adit was used to give mining and metallurgy students hands-on training, specifically to provide "sound, practical training in drilling, drifting, blasting, timbering, and mine surveying."[1][4]This training included instruction in the use of dynamite as well as the extraction of precious metals[1]and practice and demonstration of rescuing techniques.[5]
In 1935, Berkeley engineering students celebrated the annual March 15Engineers' Dayby putting together "a museum of historical electrical equipment," holding a dance at theHotel Claremont,and engaging in a "mine rescue" in the Lawson Adit next to the Hearst Memorial Mining Building.[6]
Around 1939 the adit was extended to around 900 feet so that it intersected theHayward Faultand could be used for a direct study of the fault[1]byGeorge Louderback,aseismologistat UC Berkeley, to help determine the safety of building a new women's dormitory,Stern Hall.Louderback's studies in the adit revealed that the Hayward Fault at this point is surrounded by a particularly unstablemélangeof serpentine and other metamorphic rocks.[7]He suggested that Stern Hall be built approximately fifty feet away from its original planned location.[1][4]
After 1939, much of the extended adit eventually collapsed, with most collapses around the point where the adit intersects the fault. Today the adit is only maintained to a length of about 260 feet,[1][4]and is not in use due to safety reasons.[8]
References
[edit]- ^abcdefg"The lore of Lawson Adit".Berkeleyan.19 September 2002.Retrieved5 November2011.
- ^University. Regents, University of California (System). Office of the President, University of California (1916).Report of the President of the University on behalf of the Regents.
- ^ab"Editorial Correspondence, Oct. 20".Engineering and Mining Journal.102.American Institution of Mining Engineers: 805. 1916.
- ^abcdeHelfand, Harvey (2002).University of California, Berkeley: an architectural tour and photographs(1st ed.). New York: Princeton Architectural Press.ISBN978-1-56898-293-9.
- ^"Unique Parade is Engineer's Opener".Berkeley Daily Gazette.14 March 1924.
- ^Steven Finacom (March 11, 2010)."Berkeley history: UC Berkeley sought support in 1935".My Town.Tri-Valley Herald.Archived fromthe originalon January 16, 2013.RetrievedOctober 20,2012.
- ^Curtis, Garniss H (16 October 2008)."Emeritus Professor of Geology Weighs In on Memorial Stadium".Berkeley Daily Planet.Retrieved5 November2011.
- ^"Hearst Mining Building".Berkeley Seismological Laboratory.October 24, 2000. Archived fromthe originalon May 8, 2014.Retrieved2012-10-20.